Though I'd be nervous about putting side stresses into the frame/fuel tank that it probably wasn't designed for.
I agree that the Buell can be made into a sidecar bike, In fact when they first came out we looked into buying one as our demo bike, However we went with a Triumph Tiger at the time which also has a stressed engine as it was a lot less work to make into a sidecar bike then the Uylsses,. It has been a long time since I looked at one but if I remember the swing arm is also the oil tank on this bike which makes a custom swing are just that much more money to build. There is no doubt that Brock, Claude or we could build a sidecar rig around the Uylsses however selling the bike and buying a bike that there is a "Kit" for will end up being a lot less money, But perhaps not what you are looking for. Anything can be done if there is enough money. Jay G DMC sidecars www.dmcsidecars.com jay@dmcsidecars.com 866-638-1793
Thank you everyone for you input on this, Guess the reason I want to use the Buell is Basically its new, I bought it before some of my problems came up, So I've been making payments and its been sitting. I've had it 2 years now with 722 miles on it, I owe more than its worth, so selling it to buy another would be hard on me, Plus being medically retired I am on a fixed budget, Unlike all our congress and senate who's got a hellava retirement after only having to serve 1 1/2 years, my retirement is not that great, enough to live on and have a little mad money left over. As far as my dog goes, he is a Half Husky, Half Golden Retriever mix, Last vet visit he went 102 lbs. I really need him closer to me that a trailer would allow, he alerts to a medical condition I have, and while I don't have problems driving he's become my safety blanket so to speak (think linus's blanket in the peanuts comic strip). I saw a Picture of a Hack somewhere that Looked like an aluminium tool box, the top was removable but it also had a half top that allowed a seat to put in the back half, something like that would be wonderful. Thanks all.
These guys hacked an XB... Not sure about the similarities between an XB and Uly, or if there are any aside from the Buell logo... However, their motto is "Can't is NOT an option!" I figure drop them a line and see what they say. I'm not affiliated with them, nor heard anything about them... They just popped up in a Google search.
Mike, To build your bike and do it right will cost at least twice what you paid for the bike. It is perhaps the most expensive bike around to add a sidecar to. Another option, not nearly as cool the Uylsses with a sidecar would be is to go with a Kawasaki KLR 650, You can get these for under $2,000 for an older one and for around $4000 for a very low milage newer one. You could then go with one of our Kenna frames which can be shipped to you Fed Ex which saves on shipping over truck shipping, Buy a box local to you for the bed of a pick up truck or build a wood box and be into the entire rig with the KLR for much less then even the bassic sidecar before adapting it for the Uylsses would cost you. Or, again going the KLR route, my demo bike is for sale, it is a 1992 KLR 650 with about 14K on it. We just added an Enduro sidecar to it with a disk brake. The sidecar with its options and the labor to install it goes for about $4200. The bike it turns out may be burning some oil and the clutch apears to be slipping. I have rode the bike less then 10 miles at this point and it was in the snow so I do not have a really good feel for what all this bike is going to need so I am willing to sell it for $4000 AS IS. Barry my general manager takes his dog with him on Enduro sidecars by removing the seat and then he has a box for the dog he bolts in its place, he then wire ties a plexi glass screen into the grab bar for his dog to look through. Any one else have any ideas for Mike? Jay G DMC sidecars www.dmcsidecars.com 866-638-1793
Yes, $4000 with the bike, The bike does have issues, slipping clutch may be burning oil and it was painted with a rattle can but looks good from about 10 feet back. My plan was to put a different tank on it and use plastic to make it look good again. If it does not sell ASAP, I will be doing this as well as fixing other problems with the bike and of course the price will be going back up. Jay G DMC sidecars www.dmcsidecars.com 866-638-1793
Looks like I will see what my bike will bring on Ebay, If I can at least break even then I can probably get something else financed. thanks to everyone for there inputs. Mike
Wish we could give you a simple answer but some bike's designs make sidecars hard to mount. Please keep in touch and let us know where you take this project. Ken
Keep the bike, hack it. The money saved by not having to buy an off the shelf fiberglass sidecar, and the ability have a more utilitarian rig, allows a little cushion room for the added costs that the mounts would be. -Brock Smith Side Effects
'Bama Mike, it's gonna be hard to get $7k for even a low mile Uly- When HOG(NYSE) shut down Buell they knocked $3000 off the aircooled Buell's prices and the market hasn't recovered. You might try posting your Buell for sale at www.badweatherbikers.com , with it's low mileage it might attract a collector there. Mr. Brock, have you costed out what all a Uly hack build would entail? Unless you're willing to work for free, there's no way you can fabricate a whole bike frame AND swingarm AND the hack AND frame for less than $10k. Then there's the cost of transporting the Uly from the southwestern U.S. to western Canada and back with a hack.... Figure at least a couple thou more for that. Mile, I'd look for simpler options like DMC's already hack'd KLR650 or hacking a "tuber" Buell if you want to stay with Buells. Your bank probably wouldn't approve (if they knew), but you could buy a "tuber" and transplant your Uly powertrain into it. Then take it up to Claude in PA and have him make a subframe and maybe a hack too- he's built a subframe for a "tuber" before, and the price he quoted me for one was pretty reasonable. Another option is the hack'd "tuber" on Sioux Falls, SD craigslist- it's languished there for months and the asking price has dropped from $7k to $5k. She seems to drop the price about $500 a month... If nobody else grabs that hack'd Buell, I'm gonna take a look at it when I get home next month.
Here is a fine example of a sidecar on a non tuber Buell. If the capabilities are there to have hub center steering on it and most likely a matched wheel on the rear, then a more traditional sidecar mount is not out of the question. The cost for this particular setup would be a lot, given the parts installed. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142838/283693.jpg If we are going to talk prices I'll put an estimate together to rest peoples minds so that random numbers aren't flying around. I'm not trying to bid on a job. Simply providing information to people through a good forum with a good background of solid information and fabrication skills. Like the old saying goes, Mike, "run whatcha brung". -Brock
Just to throw fuel on the fire... I own a 2009 Buell XB12XT Uly. This version of the bike is much more sport touring than off road. I love the bike because it's handling is right there with my R6 Yamaha, it's super comfy for long rides, it's got luggage capacity, my wife finds it comfortable for two-up riding, and the engine provides very "streetable" power with all the torque. A pipe dream I've had is a leaner where the bike leans and sidecar doesn't with high and low front and rear mounts to provide just enough steering in the sidecar wheel. I'd want it wide enough so I wasn't giving up a lot of lean angle. It seems to me that this type sidecar could address some of the concern over additional loads into the Buell frame/engine by allowing a degree of independent vertical movement over bumps. I also don't think it'd be that tougher to design a subframe that ties in at the swing arm in back and the upper forward engine mount structure. I'd gladdly give up an inch or so of ground clearance to keep the muffler wher it is. You could even make the sidecar suspension out of that spare Buell swingarm I've got.... Like I said, could be a pipe dream, but it seems doable to me. Brock? (If this is too much of a side track, somebody can move this elsewhere and comment.)
Nice to hear JMBueller. Well said. Not to get too far off track, when you have a leaner, especially with higher mounts/pivot points, the sidecar wheel does more scrubbing. With setups like the Flexit, where the sidecar and the bike lean equally, there is no scrubbing. The scrubbing will haunt you in some situations where the sidecar wheel tells the bike what it wants to do by pushing and pulling on the bike. Ideally you'd want the pivot at the ground, where the tires touch for every inch you move up, the sidecar will move from side to side. Obviously this can't happen but the lower the better unless they are mechanically linked like the Flexit, which used roller chains on a sprocket at each end of the 'strut'. Very clever. Also without the bike and sidecar moving parallel to each other, the ride would get interesting on heavy off camber/undulating trails as the sidecar moved up and down. Leaners have always been a 'black magic' beast. My dad brought the Flexit over to the US with Hannes (the creator) in the late '80s. Here is a pic of my dad (my little sister was in the sidecar) during a photo shoot in California. He still has this helmet and boots, not sure why? Haha. http://improvelife.info/links/v65/special/bikes/images/Flexit29.jpg As you said about the mounting points, they are there, they just need to be utilized correctly and efficiently. Back on track... -Brock
